“Smart, darkly funny, and incredibly powerful, this coming-of-age film delivers everything that fans of the genre want, but in a new arena and with new characters that make it wholly its own original piece. The premise is clean, simple, and instantly compelling — a teenage girl, pregnant by a man she shouldn’t be with, tries to navigate her pregnancy — but it’s the characters, atmosphere, and point of view of the writer that really make this script shine. Rubina is a phenomenal protagonist — sympathetic, hilarious, lovable, but deeply flawed, and rife with fears and contradictions that make her human and interesting. The supporting roles are no less complex. From her much-older lover Aleksandr and his secrets and conflicts, to Mother Theodora and her crisis of faith, to Carter and Tallulah; the entire cast elevates and distinguishes the script. The writer also showcases a natural talent for nuanced, funny, truly poetic dialogue, and the film’s surreal, almost magical visual style sets it apart from any other script this reader has seen. It’s a powerful story about maternal love, loss, faith, and the triumph of the human spirit.”
— The Black List
from Screen Craft:
“Rubina is a compelling human drama with a strong premise and an unforgettable central character. The depiction of post-Soviet 1990s Russia is so well researched, and there are so many little details that bring it to life. It really feels like a snapshot of a moment in time. You introduce the way the Romani people are viewed by Russian society in a way that doesn’t feel didactic or preachy. Every character feels human and three dimensional in the story. Rubina is an extremely singular, articulate character, and I love how she speaks in these long, descriptive sentences. It almost feels like she’s a character out of a classic Russian novel.”